Food Blog

Tidbits: Joyia Opens Friday; Eater Salutes Taste

- Gut Check has had its eye on Joyia, the new Mediterranean tapas restaurant at 4501 Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast's Grove district, since September. A check-in with owner Chuck Pener reveals that the restaurant will debut at lunch this Friday at 11 a.m.

The restaurant's regular hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday (bar open till 1 a.m.) and 4-10 p.m. Sunday (bar open till midnight). You can reach the restaurant at 314-531-5300, its website or Facebook.

- The national food-blogging empire Eater is celebrating its "Cocktail Week 2012" this week, and on Monday the presented its list of "38 Essential Cocktail Bars" nationwide. Among the selections was St. Louis' own Taste(4584 Laclede Avenue; 314-361-1200). The blurb notes mixologist Ted Kilgore's "large and diverse, but surprisingly navigable cocktail list" and that "the proprietary drinks -- which are categorized by flavor profile -- are the real draw".